Condenser



R. HIGGINS Jan. 28, 1936.

CONDENSER Filed Nov. 3, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet l 13 Fig] WW1/M@ ATTORNEY Jan. 28,A 1936. R H|GG1NS 2,028,907

CONDENSER Filed NOV. 3, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 N L////// \\w\m\ ATTORNEY Jan. 28, v1936.

R. HIGGINS CONDENSER Filed Nov. 3, 1932 6/ AFiF/205:

= l ap /gg/ns 9. 5 BY ('gmwq ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 28, 1936 PATENT OFFICE 2.028.901 ooNnENsEa Ralph Higgins, Akron, Ohio, assignor to The Ohio Brass Company, Manseld, Ohio, a corporation of New Jersey Application November 3, 1932, Serial No. 640,924 Claims. (Cl. 175-41) This invention relates to electrostatic condensers and especially to condensers of the type used for electrostatic coupling with high potential transmission lines.

One object of the invention is to provide a condenser in which a number of units may be assembled together in compact and sturdy relation and in which the over-all dimension will be a minimum. p

Another object of the invention'is to provide a condenser of improved construction and operation.

Other objects and advantages will appear from the following description. Y The invention is exemplified by the combination and arrangement of parts shown in the ac'- companying drawings and described in the following specication, and it is more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is an elevation with parts in section showing one embodiment of the present invention. Y

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary section of the joint between two parts in Fig. .1 but shown on a larger scale.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing a modiiication of the joint.

Fig. 4 is an elevation of an insulator stack formed with a plurality of sets of assembled units. Fig. 5 is a plan of the stack shown in Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentaryelevation partly in section showing a detail of the connection between upper and lower sets in the stack shown in Fig. 4.

Electrostatic condensers for coupling and other purposes have heretofore been made of tubular porcelain members having outer and inner conductor elements, the units thus formed being mounted one upon the other to form a series stack. When several units are thus assembled, the stack is necessarily of considerable length so that it not only occupies a large amount oi vertical space but is apt to be unstable and require bracing. In the present invention this difficulty is overcome by giving the various units a tapered form and nesting them together, thus conserving vertical headroom and imparting greater rigidity to the assembled stack. At the same time, the parts are connected so as to improve the electrical characteristics of the assembled condenser.

In the form of the invention shown in Fig. l, three condenser units I0, II and I 2 are assembled in series and the stack is mounted upon a transformer housing I3, enclosing a step-down transformer` I4 for supplying current to any de-4 sired form of electrical translating device. Eachy of the dielectric members I0, II and I2 may be formed of porcelain or| other suitable dielectric material and are preferably provided with conductor coatings I5 and I6 on their inner and outer surfaces respectively to form the conductor elements of the condenser. The porcelain members I0, II and I2 are identical with one another so that any number of units may be assembled in the stack. The surfaces I5 and 5 I6 may be metallized sanded surfaces, such as that described in U. S. Patent #1,536,749, granted March 5, 1925 to A. 0. Austin. A metallic band I1 surrounds each of the dielectric members adjacent its lower end and is secured to the dielec- 10 tric member by cement I8. The dielectric member is preferably provided with a backwardly extending flange I9 covering the lower edge of the metal band I1 to prevent discharge from the edge of the band. The dielectric member may also be provided with additional flanges and'2I to prevent leakage and discharge over the edge of the dielectric member. The metallic band I1 is preferably provided with vertically extending corrugations or ribs to provide a certain amount 20 of resiliency to the band to compensate for differential thermal expansion and contraction of the metal and dielectric members. Secured to the inner surface of each of the dielectric members at the mouth thereof is a second band or 2 5 y ring 22 held in place by cement 23, and also ribbed or corrugated to prevent undue stresses in thel dielectric member. The bands I1 and 22 of connected dielectric members are provided with interitting connections, such as threaded collars 3o 24 and 2.5. These collars when threaded together, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, connect adjacent condenser units in the stack. The corrugations in the lower units terminate below the collar 24 to provide shoulders 26 and metallic rings 35 21 are provided with anges 28 which rest on the shoulders 26. Porcelain rings 29 are connected to the metallic rings 21 by cement 30 and these porcelain rings further screen the metallic parts connecting the adjacent condenser units 40. so as to prevent corona or discharge from these parts. The ring 29 may be provided with suitable anges 3I and 32. The inner surface'of the ring 29 is preferably metallized, as shown at 33,- and the adjacent metallized surfaces I5, I6 and i5 33 are all bonded to the metal connecting elements I1, 22 and 21 by suitable bonding members, as indicated at 34 and 35.

When the parts are assembled, as shown in Fig. 2, the flange 23 will be clamped between the 50 lower edge of the sleeve andthe upper surface of the shoulder 26. A metallic housing 36 preferably encloses the uppermost condenser element I IJ and is provided with a threaded ring 31 which engages the sleeve 24. The housing 36 55 may be provided with a flange or shield 38 extending out over the lower portion of the dielectric member I0. The upper end of the housing 36 is closed by a metallic plate 39 having threaded openings III for receiving any form of attachment member or conductor lead desired. The ring 22 on the lowermost member in the stack is threaded to a cap 4l mounted on an insulator d2 and supported on the transformer housing i3 by a hollow post 43. A rod 44 extends through the insulator 42 and is connected to the primary winding i4 of theitransformer in the housing i3. A suitable arrangement for the transformer is more completely described and claimed in my prior application Serial Number 638,109, filed October 17, 1932.- An arcing rod 45 may be secured to the housing I3 and have its end disposed adjacent the ring 22 to form an arcing gap for limiting the voltage impressed upon the transformer.

In the modification shown in Fig. 3, the connecting rings il and 22 are secured together by means of a cap screw 46 in lieu of the threaded connection shown in Fig. 2. In this case, the porcelain ring 29 is supported by a metallic ring 41 having inwardly extending projections d8 which rest upon the shoulders 26. When the parts are being assembled, the projections 48 are moved to register with the spaces between the shoulders 26 so that the ring 29 may be* dropped down a sufcient distance to permit the insertion of the cap screws 16. After the screws are in place, the ring 29 is then raised and rotated a slight distance about its axis until the projections 48 rest on the shoulders 26.

In l'the assembly shownv in Fig. 4, a plurality of sets 5U of condenser units, each of which sets may be similar to that shown in Fig. l, are arranged in multiple, each set being mounted upon its insulator 5i and the inner elements of the various sets connected together by conductors 52. The cap 39 on the uppermost metallic housing of each set is provided with a plate 53, each of which supports an additional set of condenser units 54. The caps 39 of the units 54 and the caps 53 of the units 5U are connected together by braces 55.

These braces may be made of insulating material such as wood connected to form a spider, as shown more clearly in Fig. 5. The uppermost braces 55 may be bridged by conductor jumpers 56 so as to connect all of the outer conductor elements of the condensers and the connection thus formed provides a terminal by which the condenser stack may be connected to any suitable source of voltage, such as a high potential transmission line. Where the braces between the stacks are made of insulation, the stacks may be separately operated by removing the jumpers 56 or combined in different numbers to givevarious capacities that may be desired. Faulty units may also be more readily detected than where allsof the stacks are connected together by braces of conducting material. Where the stacks are braced together, as shown in Fig. 4, the connection at the lower ends of the stacks may be a semi-flexible connection so as to avoid unnecessary stresses on the condensers themselves.

A suitable form of connection for this purpose is shown in Fig. 6 in which the numeral 5I designates the supporting member for the lower end of each set of units. The lower supporting ring 22 in this case is threaded to a spider 58 which has -a central ring 59 resting freely upon the support 51. An upright rod or bar 60 is threaded into the support 51 and extends through the support 59. A spider 6| is cemented to the inner surface of the dielectric member i2 to register with the inwardly projecting shoulder portion 62 of this member.

It will be noted that each of the dielectric members is provided with this "step shoulder 62 which provides an oiset in the outer face of the dielectric member to'accommodate the lower shoulder on the next outer dielectric member. 'Ihe spider 6i is provided with a central opening which loosely receives the upper end of the rod 60. Since the various sets of condenser units are braced together in the stack, the complete stack forms a sufficiently rigid structure so that it is not necessary for each set to be rigidly braced upon its supporting base.

I claim:

1. A condenser comprising a pair of hollow,

tapered, dielectric shell members nested together one within the other, conductor elements separated by said shell members, the inner of said shell members projecting from the end of the outer shell member, a conductor element between said shell members projecting from the end of the outer shell member, and a dielectric shield surrounding the projecting portion of said conductor element.

2. In a condenser, a pair of hollow, dielectric shell members nested one within the other, a conductor element interposed between said shell members and comprising a conductor coating on the outer surface of the inner shell member, and a backwardly directed flange on said inner shell member forming a pocket receiving the terminal edge/of said conductor element.

3. In a condenser, a pair of hollow, dielectric shell members nested one within the other, the inner shell member extending from the end of the outer shell member, a conductor element between said shell members and comprising a coating of conducting material on the outer surface of the inner shell member, said inner shell member having an outwardly extending ange projecting past the terminal edge of said coating, and a dielectric shield surrounding the projecting portion'of said coating.

4. A condenser comprising a pair of hollow,

, tapered, dielectric shell members nested one with- 5. A condenser comprising a plurality of hollow, tapered, dielectric shell members nested together, the open end of each inner shell member projecting beyond the end of the next adjacent outer shell member, conductor elements alternating with said shell members and comprising coatingsof conducting material on the surfaces of said shell members respectively, fastenfaces respectively of adjacent shell members and detachably connected together for holding said shell members in nested relation, and shields of dielectric material supported by said fastening devices and surrounding said fastening devices adjacent the open end of each outer shell member.

. RALPH HIGGINS.

' ing devices secured to the inner and'outer sur- 

